Few would argue that 2011 was one of the best years for exclusive PlayStation software

The growth of Sony's Worldwide Studios resulted in a new blockbuster release for almost every month of the year; a feat that was always going to be difficult to replicate in 2012. But while 2012 might not live up to its predecessor in terms of pure content quantity, we're certain Sony's still got a surprise or..

God Of War is a world-renowned franchise, but things were almost very different

Before Kratos' mythological escapades got the go-ahead, developer Sony Santa Monica was toying with the idea of a Silent Hill-style survival horror title set within the dark realm of the Twisted Metal universe. Game designer David Jaffe revealed the tid-bit on the Weekend Confirmed podcast, though he didn't delve into..

As with so many other Sony published titles, God Of War IV is leaking faster than a burst pipe

Eagle eyed gamers picked up on the inclusion of the game's name in composer Timothy Williams' online resume. The musician has since confirmed the game's existence to Joystiq, telling the website that he is "working on [the game] in the capacity of orchestrations and some additional music" but..

Since its inception, the God Of War franchise has been all about its epic single-player experience

But if rumours in the latest issue of British magazine, PSM3, are to be believed, Kratos could be on the verge of heading online. The publication speculates that the next mainline entry of God Of War will sport online co-op and centre on the plot of Kratos and his brother Deimos, as the siblings..

If you've spent the last couple of months patrolling the skies in a futuristic Warhawk and summoning structures from outer-space, you might be a little disappointed to learn that Lightbox Interactive is pulling the plug on the Starhawk beta come January 3rd

The good news is that the developer's keeping things running over the holidays, giving you...

Having a vehicle armed to the teeth with rockets and chainsaws is all well and good — but try using them effectively against the The Brothers Grimm. You'll be lucky if you manage to scratch the paint-work of their ridiculously oversized monster trucks.

It's evident from yesterday's reannouncement that Sorcery has grown since its promising debut at last year's E3

While the PlayStation Move exclusive includes the same precise motion control mechanics as its original demo, it's visually prettier and much bigger in scope. "Coming out of E3, we knew there were some things we weren't happy with," design director Brian Upton told the..

Sorcery was the first game to make people take notice of the PlayStation Move

Debuted at E3 over a year ago, The Workshop developed motion exclusive generated buzz because it felt like the title gamers had been calling for ever since the Wii was released. Family oriented, yes, but with a deep underlying core. A year later, Sony's re-revealed Sorcery to the North American press. And, as we'd hoped,..

Sony's mysterious marketing campaign for The Last Of Us — an upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive that the platform holder's been drip-feeding information about for the past couple of weeks — has brought out the budding researcher in much of the video games media. PlayStation Lifestyle's got the research bug (pun intended) quite bad. It's..

Regular readers of the site will be aware of the build-up to Sony's new PlayStation 3 exclusive, The Last Of Us. If you're not up to date, you can read our big blow-out piece on the impending announcement through here. Sony has been gradually drip-feeding information about the game all week, going as far as to add a screenshot of the mysterious new title on the..

The teaser website for upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive The Last Of Us has updated

While the body of the page remains the same — ants and quarantine videos are still the focus — the big change is the inclusion of a wallpaper image listed as a "screenshot". It shows the foliage that has appeared on the background of the PlayStation Blog recently. A second image was discovered on..

But in an interview with The Guardian, producer Robin Hunicke has explained that the developer designed the world in a way that would encourage player connection. One of the things we talked about early in the project was this idea of creating a connection between players in an environment where...

When GameTrailers' Geoff Keighley promised an unbelievable PlayStation 3 exclusive would debut at this year's VGAs, speculation automatically pointed towards the heavily rumoured Sony Smash Bros. But a brand new teaser trailer has proved us all wrong. The Last Of Us is the name of Sony's next PlayStation 3 exclusive. The

This time a New Zealand based website has listed the title on its website. It follows a slew of development rumours and job listings that have pointed to the next entry in the set-piece driven series dropping onto PS3 next year. Sony's yet to officially say anything about the next God Of War, but we have a strong feeling that the game..

You'll find quite a few people talking about the PlayStation Vita, and not all of them positively. "Why would I want to play a game like Uncharted on a small screen," they scream, "I'd rather play it on my big TV." The insinuation appears to be that Sony has learned nothing from the mixed success of the..

Tenuous, this, so slot it under the folder with "Rumour" emblazoned in pink marker pen ink on the front

Sony Santa Monica is apparently staffing up for a new project in the God Of War series. "Mega developer making sequel to ginormous franchise," is definitely not hard to believe — but the job listing TheSilentChief cites is a bit bland. The position for a Senior Staff Concept artist..

God Of War developer -- and support team across many PlayStation projects -- Sony Santa Monica is staffing up in preperation for a new "unannounced IP"

The news comes courtesy of a job posting on Gamasutra, requesting the services of a level designer with "experience in designing or contributing to the development of an open world game". No other clues were given. Seeing as Sony Santa..

The God Of War Collection Volume II (or God Of War: Origins Collection if you're in North America) launches this week, and in order to celebrate Sony's released a brand new trailer for the latest collection of bloody brawlers

The latest God Of War collection compiles Ready At Dawn's PSP series outings, with both Chains Of Olympus and Ghost Of Sparta included. Catch the launch trailer after the..

Sony Santa Monica -- the guys behind the mainline God Of War titles -- are teaming up with Polish demoscene studio Plastic for a brand new PlayStation Move title

A teaser trailer has been released on YouTube (after the jump) showing a floating hand interacting with statues and trees in a forest. Plastic previously worked on the bonkers Linger In Shadows for PlayStation Network, so expect something..

Hot off the heels of yesterday's Valentine's Day release date announcement, Eat Sleep Play's released a brand new trailer for its upcoming Twisted Metal reboot

We have to say, our anticipation grows more and more with each new piece of footage released. The latest trailer focuses on Dollface, everyone's favourite glitter-haired psycho. Enter amazing (and mildly disturbing) FMV, featuring said..

Ready At Dawn's taken to the PlayStation Blog to discuss (and showcase) its work remastering the God Of War PSP titles for the PlayStation 3

Both God Of War: Chains Of Olympus and God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta will be playable in high-definition on the PlayStation 3 as part of next month's God Of War Origins Collection (God Of War Collection: Volume II in Europe). But getting both games running on..

Ever since Starhawk was announced, we've all been waiting patiently to see the game's space combat

According to senior producer Harvard Bonin, we'll get our first glimpse of that at this month's GamesCom event in Germany. "Were going to be rolling out our Space level at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany on August 17th," he said. "I cant wait till everyone sees it — gotta love..

In an extremely earnest post on the PlayStation Blog, Eat Sleep Play's David Jaffe has revealed that Twisted Metal will not hit its October release date

Jaffe's reason was as candid as ever, the game is "just not ready yet". The game will instead launch in "early 2012". As disappointing as the news is, it's really hard to be frustrated with the team's intentions. Jaffe noted on..

A list of three cancelled PlayStation 3 titles have been revealed via the LinkedIn portfolio of Sony Santa Monica's Steve Johnson

The God Of War studio was apparently working on three titles, including High Rise, Hand Of God and Psynapse. All three releases have since been cancelled. Johnson's profile also acknowledges work on two unannounced projects, one of which is sure to be the successor to..

The emphasis of the footage coming out of Starhawk's Comic-Con panel is to demonstrate the game's transitions between gameplay and cut-scenes

With Starhawk including inFamous' motion comic cut-scene approach, Lightbox has developed a really neat effect that transforms polygons into art, as demonstrated in the video embedded above. The cut-scene itself focuses on Starhawk's protagonist Emmett..

Ever heard of Carnival Island? No, us neither, but surprisingly it's a Sony published PlayStation Move party title in development at Magic Pixel and Sony Santa Monica

Apparently Sony just forgot to tell us all about it. The Carnival Games series has been a huge success on the Nintendo Wii, so it's surprising to see Sony completely ignore Carnival Island's existence. Admittedly it's not the type of..

Never played God Of War ever before? Sony's got the perfect solution for you

Popping up on Amazon Germany is a retail listing for the "God Of War Master Collection", a gigantic PS3 collection that includes every God Of War game ever made — aside from that shoddy mobile phone title. If you're having trouble keeping up, that's: God Of War, God Of War II, God Of War III, God Of War: Chai

David Jaffe has said that he won't pander to European tastes in order to make the Twisted Metal franchise more popular in the region

As Brits, we're thinking "thank goodness for that". Twisted Metal is all about balls-to-the-wall mayhem with the deeper, technical layer hidden beneath all the carnage. We'd never want Jaffe to take that away. What were not going to do is go how do we..

Sony has confirmed the God Of War Origins Collection for PlayStation 3, a compilation package featuring both God Of War: Chains Of Olympus and God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta remastered in HD

The package will support 3D and will launch in September. Also due out in September is the Team ICO Collection, the hotly anticipated double-pack featuring Fumito Ueda classics ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus..

Before you take a cartwheel into the road outside your house, let's make one point absolutely clear: Sony Santa Monica works as a micro-publisher within SCEA

It supports smaller developers getting to grips with the PlayStation hardware, and has an input in second-party development. In short: while Sony Santa Monica might have eight games at E3, not all of them will be developed by the God Of War..

Twiggy guessed it in his pre-E3 predictions, but a report on Forbes has now added weight behind the expectation of a new God Of War appearing at Sony's press conference this evening

The report claims that it will be a "new 3D adventure," presumably hinting at stereoscopic support. God Of War III released last March on PlayStation 3. While we'd be stoked over a new God Of War featuring..

All unique franchises with quality components, but irritatingly similar in design. According to Sony's in-house market research, gamers are starting to long for something a little bit different in their multiplayer shooter experiences. That's where Starhawk comes in. "Sony, of course they want to sell games and make a lot of money," Lightbox..

Sony's put up a bumper five-minute trailer for Starhawk that breaks down each element of its gameplay

As we explained earlier, the primary mechanic is Starhawk's "Build And Battle" component, which brings dynamic real-time strategy into the game's mix of third-person shooting and flight combat. We're not entirely convinced by the game's grungy art aesthetic, but the gameplay looks..

It launches on Blu-ray next year, brimming with a meaty single-player and multiplayer component. It also looks amazing. Step away from the grimy art-style for a moment, and you'll find the core staples of Warhawk's gameplay in tact, bolstered by a new Real-Time Strategy mechanic that looks really smartly implemented. G4's uploaded a..

If you're a fan of Warhawk, this debut trailer for Lightbox Interactive's spiritual successor, Starhawk, should get you pumped

Not only does the on-foot action look much more refined than in its predecessor, but the Warhawks also transform. They friggin' transform into mechs. It's basically like the Transformers game we always dreamed of. Check out the first gameplay footage after the jump,..

The PlayStation Network might still be down, but Sony's prepping itself for E3 2011 in style -- starting with the long rumoured announcement of Starhawk from Dylan Jobe's Lightbox Interactive studio

The sequel to Warhawk, due out in 2012, will launch on a Blu-ray and will boast a single-player campaign in addition to a fully-featured multiplayer component. You'll play as Emmett Graves [killer name..

UK gaming magazine, PlayGamer, is hinting that Sony will announce a sequel to Heavenly Sword at this year's E3. It's unlikely that original developers Ninja Theory will be at the helm, as they are currently busy working on a Devil May Cry reboot for Capcom. Our top bet for taking on the franchise is God Of War developer Sony Santa Monica. The..

God Of War studio, Sony Santa Monica, is hunting for a level designer with experience in "open world games"

The developer is also after a senior combat designer with an understanding of first and third-person shooters, as well as "experience working with, developing or designing vehicle combat". The studio previously put out a job listing...

UK PlayStation magazine, PSM3, is teasing the release of a new God Of War game

The magazine has it on good authority that God Of War IV is in development and gunning for a September 2012 release date. That date would probably suggest some kind of E3 reveal too. Rumours have been bubbling about a new God Of War ever since a CV referenced a "God Of War IV cinematic test". God Of War..

Sony Santa Monica's staffing up, and it's looking for an "online programmer" to work on the God Of War franchise

The job posting on Gamasutra states that the studio is looking for a senior online programmer to "join the God of War team," adding that the role involves supporting "networking needs such as in-game communication, client-server, match-making, leaderboards." Sony..

Embedded above is the first gameplay trailer of Kratos' cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat

Our hats go off to NetherRealm Studios. They've done an outstanding job capturing the essence of the Kratos character in a totally different game. Perhaps most exciting, and comical, is the twee reference to God Of War's famous QTE sequences. We can't wait for the new Mortal Kombat. Kratos is just the icing on..

Mass Effect 2 took the top-prize at last night's gaming BAFTAs, scooping the gong for game of the year

Sony and Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain wasn't far behind though, winning three awards for its story, technical innovation and original music. Elsewhere on PlayStation, God Of War III took the prize for artistic achievement while Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was crowned best action game. The full set..

God Of War III's director, Stig Asmussen, has taken to the PlayStation Blog to talk about Kratos' cameo in Mortal Kombat

The Sony Santa Monica gaffer pointed out, "Mortal Kombat had a huge influence on me growing up. I remember the first time I saw it in the arcade  I almost crapped myself!" He added: "I was like, 'Look what they did to that guy! Im out of quarters! When well I..

HipHopGamer was spot on -- Sony's angry anti-hero, Kratos, is set to appear in yet another franchise that's not his own

The God Of War — who's already taken time from slaying Olympus to participate in a spot of golf — is apparently set to appear in the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot's arcade mode. According to Official PlayStation Magazine, Kratos will get his own set of moves and fatality..

Sony's announced on the PlayStation Blog this afternoon that the God Of War Collection is set to be released on the PlayStation Store this coming November 3rd (2nd in the US)

The collection, which includes remastered versions of God Of War and God Of War II, will be available for £23.99; while both games will be available individually for £13.99. There's no US pricing information available yet..

Take this giant statue thing -- shortly after the screenshot was taken it lost its head

Like, all of its head. God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta is just a few weeks off now. It's looking absolutely brilliant. There's a demo available on both legs of the PlayStation Store if you want to give it a test run.</em> <em>The full batch of shots are over at VG247.</em>

How about another cheeky look at God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta? Looks flippin' incredible doesn't it? Yep, yep, we know

We absolutely cannot wait to pick the game up next month. And now we've got a little more incentive; Sony's announced that all new copies of the PSP title (digital download or UMD) will include a download voucher to unlock Kratos' brother, Deimos, in God Of War III. Apparently..

We're on a ship, being tossed from side to side as the sea roars around us

Skeletal enemies climb aboard and we tear them to pieces with wreckless abandon. "Lord Kratos," a crew-member screams from the hull above, "It's destroying the entire fleet." As we march through the innards of the ship, we approach the tail of a gigantic...

It's been a staple of the God Of War franchise that, at some point during his adventure, Kratos gets to warm his snake [presumably several foot long - Ed] in hot mythological jam

The latest PlayStation Portable title, God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta, will be no different. America's ratings board, the ESRB, notes that in Ghost Of Sparta Kratos can engage in a "sex mini-game in which players may..

We'll wait. Ok, go... Got it? We're guessing you imagined a dark, repulsive gore-fest with lots of angry men and blood, right? Yeah, exactly. That's why this fan-made spoof God Of War movie trailer is so clever — because it shifts the whole concept into an indie-flick mould. It's actually kind of brilliant. It just works, right? The music, the camera angles, the..

Two of the most defining soundtracks of the past twelve months have come from Playstation exclusives God Of War III and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Now, courtesy of Sumthing Else Music Works and Sumthing Digital, we've got both soundtracks in their entirety to give-away on compact disc. That's right, CDs, remember those? If you'd like to win them,...

"A rebuilt graphics engine means that LittleBigPlanet 2 looks even better than its forebear - sharper, cleaner, and with a greater sense of physicality," states the latest issue of EDGE magazine, on store shelves now

"A share of tech with the God of War III team means it's borrowed its depth-of-field effects. Objects are better defined with surrounding shadow, a result of ambient occlusion..

Sony's just announced that there'll be a new God Of War game on the Playstation Portable this year, God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta. What's better is that it's in development at Ready At Dawn studios, the house that were responsible from Kratos' last foray onto the PSP with Chains Of Olympus. Early screenshots show that, once again, Ready At Dawn are pushing the..

Ever since we posted about the Spartans Stand Tall God Of War teaser page, folks on this very site have been leading the discussion as to what it all means. There looks set to be plenty more to talk about aswell, as the site's just gotten its second biggest update: the appearance of a mysterious spartan figure flashes in the ocean..

Huge success for Sony and their Santa Monica studio last month, as God Of War III went on to rule the American software charts selling a whopping 1

1 million copies in the country. Kratos managed to oust out March's other big releases in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Final Fantasy XIII, the latter of which performed better on the Playstation 3 SKU. March was a good month for Sony, with four of the..

If you're worrying about your order for the God Of War Trilogy being cancelled, then you can stop now

There's no real need to worry, but there is the need to be annoyed. Apparently, Sony's yet to work out the retail partners that will be distributing the God Of War Trilogy special edition. I.e. not all shops will be stocking the product, hence your cancelled order. Still, Sony say the pack will..

Good news for Sony and their Santa Monica studio, SCEA's VP of marketing Peter Dille has confirmed that God Of War III has sold over one million units in "just a couple of days"

No word on whether that figures worldwide, or just the US. The NPD sales data for America are due next week, so we'll know for sure just how well God Of War III (and indeed Final Fantasy XIII) fared. Expect the numbers to..

A mysterious scan of the French Official Playstation Magazine has set message boards alight over night

The magazine's piece seems to purport to some multiplayer DLC for God Of War III. The scans appear to show some kind of Soul Calibur-esque one-on-one fighting mini-game. It'd be neat if it happened but don't hold your breath. Remember - we're dangerously close to April Fools. We'll do our best to..

SEGA's Yakuza 4 has topped the Japanese software charts for this week, shifting a hearty 384,000 copies

The numbers are a little lower than those of Yakuza 3, but still extremely respectable. Elsewhere, the God Of War Collection managed to place 13th in the Japanese software charts this week, with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 not far behind it in 15th.

God Of War III is being criticised for being too familiar to its predecessors, but it's a line of critique I feel intrigued to counter

Playing God Of War III, I couldn't help but notice the ways in which Sony Santa Monica took something familiar and made it better. On a surface-level, the tweaks aren't particularly apparent, but there are so many...

Gizmodo's just been sent an authentic x-ray from a physician who claims to have treated a broken hand caused by excessive God Of War III excitement

"I had a patient who was so caught up in playing God of War III that he rolled over his hand with his knee and broke two fingers. The radiograph is attached (with his information omitted and arrows that point to the fractures). First time I've..

What's most bonkers is that people have already earned a Platinum trophy in God Of War III

You people have beaten Titan Mode - really!?! Blimey. Well, whatever. What's interesting is what happens when you earn said trophy — namely that you get directed to www.spartansstandtall.com. The website shows the ocean and rain. And not much else. There's a little shield in the top-right corner, but it..

Hey Americans. Hey everyone. This week is officially the week of chaos — thus by this point, where ever you are in the world, you should know: God Of War III is out. Yup, it's on store shelves now. We think it's one of the best games on Playstation 3 to date. If you're not convinced, check out our review through here. Then head to the shops and buy, buy, buy.

We've already played and completed it. It's actually one of the most satisfying video games this generation (on reflection, we're comfortable saying that). Even if you're not a fan of the genre, game or characters, you should probably play through this. Anyway, even if you're not yet convinced, this trailer will probably push you over the edge. Behold: God Of..

Not only has the month already seen the arrival of Final Fantasy XIII, a traditionally Playstation franchise, but it's also about to witness the arrival of one of Playstation's biggest exclusive franchises: God Of War III. Sadly, there's a hitch. While Sony have two of the biggest games possible this month, they're also struggling to..

If you're into watching SpikeTV and what-not, then might know there's some kind of televised God Of War trivia competition on the channel tonight

As horrific as all that sounds, the winner of said trivia competition is going to come home with this uber-limited edition God Of War III Playstation 3. There's only one in the world so you're not getting one. [Picture: Kotaku]

But originally it was going to be longer. It ended up getting cut, and Stig Asmussen was asked about the content returning as DLC on the Kotkau podcast. He responded:There was a pretty large thing that we chopped from the ending that I had regrets about, but then something we added at the end that helps make...

God Of War III's director Stig Asmussen reckons the engine powering the game is only running at "50%"

He told Destructoid:Well, I think our studio will use this engine again, he said, speaking to Destructoid at GDC this week, and itll get better. And I think were probably about 50- or 60-percent at it right now. I think theres a lot more we can do with it. I think individually our..

A week ahead of the launch for God Of War III, Sony Santa Monica's John Hight has confirmed to MTV that the company have two other projects undergoing pre-production at the moment

Were jumping right back in, Ive got a small concept team working on our next product for us. Were actually gonna do something different this time, were gonna have a short-term concept, a game that we hope to..

Want to know how much God Of War III cost Sony Santa Monica to make? A cool $44million! That's the number announced by the studio's John Hight in an interview over at GiantBomb. That's a lot of moolah guys. Sounds like it was worth it though; the reviews embargo which lifted earlier has revealed nothing but praise for Kratos' final installment.

Most of the world's major publications have gone live with their God Of War III reviews

And the verdict is... pretty damn amazing, with a whole host of 9's and 10's for Kratos' last hurrah. We've compiled a handy quick find guide below. Make yourself a brew, secure your God Of War III preorder, and then revel in the lavishing words of praise ahead. There will indeed be chaos. VideoGamer.com - 10/10..

Arguably, Gran Turismo 5 aside, God Of War III is the biggest and most important Playstation 3 release to date

And you know what? It hits next week. That's crazy soon folks. With the release date so near, the embargo for reviews lifts this evening. While we're still waiting on our review copy, we'll be watching with sheer anticipation as other publications from around the 'Net dispatch their final..

Literally weeks away. And with that, Sony Santa Monica are kinda turning their attention elsewhere — namely, like what they're going to make next. Talking to IndustryGamers, Senior Producer Steve Caterson revealed his studio really don't know what they're going to do next.I have no idea! I just finished three years of my life on God of War..

SCEA's confirmed there will be a community meet-up for God Of War III at next week's GDC event in San Francisco

Those attending will get hands-on time with the game, an "un-named musical performance" and the chance to meet director Stig Asmussen. We're assuming there'll be hot-dogs too. The event's taking place on the Wednesday evening of GDC, at 7-10PM PST. There's more on the..

Eagle-eyed IGN users have spotted a leak, suggesting that the website will score Kratos' last hurrah a mighty 10/10

If true, it'll be the first 10/10 since Metal Gear Solid 4 in 2008. Big stuff. The score's since been pulled from the website, but this isn't the first time this has happened. A 9.5 appeared on the Modern Warfare 2 page a few weeks ahead of embargo. That game ended up scoring 9.5.

But this American GameStop commercial takes the biscuit. It's promoting the GameStop exclusive "Phantom Of Chaos Skin" and features the Chimera-thing from the demo. Talking in a ridiculous manner. Sigh. "Woahhhh - hisss-is that your new outfit Kratossss?"

GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley has given the first hint on Sony Santa Monica's next project, simply stating on his Twitter page, "Wait until you see what they're doing next

" It comes in response to a fan's Tweet to Keighley, in which he stated "Can't believe how amazing God Of War III looks." God Of War III already appears to push the limits of video game visuals. Indeed,..

On one hand, it does everything you'd want it to: show the actual gameplay, show the scale, show the violence. On the other hand though, the narrator's voice is bloody ridiculous. We definitely think this trailer could do with an "Actual gameplay footage" note though, as we're certain people will write this off as CGI..

For those of you who have followed David Jaffe's recent interviews with Kotaku and 4Guys1Up, you'll know the God Of War creator is yet to play the final version of God Of War III yet

So it's pretty interesting to see him react to the latest footage uploaded by GameTrailers TV yesterday. Obviously, whilst still not being directly connected to the franchise, David Jaffe still has a strong connection..